North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un has underlined the strategic importance of relations with China for his country.
Pyongyang - In a message of greeting to the Chinese head of state and party Xi Jinping on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on Thursday, Kim emphasized the ties between the two neighboring countries through "belief in the socialist and communist cause".
The North Korean Labor Party and the CPC formed a "solid unit," Kim was quoted as saying by the state media.
This unity will raise the friendship of the two countries "to a new strategic point, as the time demands".
Kim also defended the CPC against pressure from abroad. Hostile forces attempted to put extensive pressure on the CP through "vicious slander". However, this is no more than a last-ditch effort to stop the progress of the Chinese people. Observers saw Kim's words as an allusion to China's tense relations with the United States.
China is the most important ally of the internationally isolated North Korea. The large neighboring country accounts for more than 90 percent of its trade. The 1961 Covenant on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance is considered a foundation of relations. However, North Korea has repeatedly strained relations with Beijing with its own nuclear tests. The sanction decisions of the UN Security Council against Pyongyang because of the tests were also supported by the veto power China. (dpa)
